Gong Hyo Jin Cries After Her First Performance of “Educating Rita”

December 3 was opening night for the play “Educating Rita,” starring Gong Hyo Jin. In front of a packed theater, Gong Hyo Jin completely transformed into her character, a hairdresser named Rita, for two hours. The audience focused on the actors with rapt attention for duration of the play.

After completing her first stage performance without any mistakes, tears fell down Gong Hyo Jin’s face to the sound of thunderous applause during the curtain call. It was surprising when Gong Hyo Jin decided to follow up her drama “It’s Okay, That’s Love ” with her first ever stage performance in 15 years as an actress, so she felt pressured that this could turn out to be a bad career move.

Gong Hyo Jin shared, “My first performance went better than I expected, so I’ve gained confidence that I can do well. As it’s still the beginning of the run, I don’t feel completely relaxed, but it feels thrilling to look out at all the audience members watching me act. I will take what I’ve learned from the first performance and put on a good show until the last performance.”

“Educating Rita” is a play about a hairdresser named Rita who, dissatisfied from the routine of her life, meets and has a relationship with Frank, a university lecturer, and the changes each goes through. The play will have a two month run, ending on February 1, 2015.